Obituary: Stuart Abel

Food manufacturer. Died aged 86.

Stuart Abel, a quiet, successful businessman, was quick to give credit to others. But he was the driving force behind an organisation providing products which are still used by New Zealanders nearly every day.

Born in Sydney in 1916, he moved to New Zealand aged 4 with his family.

In November 1920 his father, George Handson Abel, started Abels Ltd in Newmarket, Auckland, to produce margarine and shortenings for the baking industry.

The young Abel was educated at Kings School in Remuera and Kings College in Otahuhu then joined Abels Ltd.

At the outbreak of World War II he volunteered and served in the 8th Army in the Middle East, achieving the rank of Lieutenant and being awarded the Military Cross in 1943.

Back home, he resumed work at Abels and on the death of his father in 1945 was appointed managing director and later chairman.

The company expanded and diversified. In 1955, ETA Foods Ltd was formed, and before long ETA was New Zealand's leading snack company, producing a complete range of potato chips, processed nuts, corn extruded products, mayonnaises, salad dressings and peanut butter.

In the 1970s, when the restrictions on margarines were relaxed, Abels began manufacturing polyunsaturated table margarine in addition to its range of cooking and baking margarines and shortenings. (There was an amendment to the 1908 Margarine Act, which until then had forbidden the sale of polyunsaturated margarine, unless people could produce a medical certificate confirming they could not eat butter for health reasons.)

This expansion of the business meant a move of some production to Wiri.

Abel was well known to people in the industry and it was recognised that his technical knowledge of the processing of edible fats and oils had few equals.

In 1983 he became the first honorary local life member of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry in recognition of his support of the institute for more than 50 years.

Known as a modest and honourable man, Abel retired in 1988.

His recreational passion was always golf. He won the Club Championship of the Auckland Golf Club three times, later becoming club captain, and then president, and was made a life member in 1989.

He was also a member of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, the Auckland Racing Club and the Northern Club.

But the place where he most liked to relax after work was the corner bar of the Carlton Hotel in Newmarket.

He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Phyllis, two sons and two grandsons.